Like a good Neighbor

Gerry Quinn · 22 Nov 2011, 13:54 · from 2011-November.txt.gz

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From: gerry at bindweed.com (Gerry Quinn)
Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:54:24 -0000
Subject: (urth) Like a good Neighbor
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W507D4337D508F3EBC4FB75CFC80 at phx.gbl>
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From: Lee Berman 
> Gerry is working as a covert atheist warrior, and thus can be expected to try to argue
> away all wisps of myth and religion wherever he may find them, including Wolfe stories.

Pathethic.  Actually I?ve supported the view that there is a strong religious thread running through Wolfe?s entire canon, and nowhere (in long works) is it stronger than in the Solar Cycle.
What I do not do is make a mockery of it with a hotchpotch of unrelated symbols of every myth, arguments that God is an evil demiurge, and the like.  If anyone is a ?covert atheist warrior?, it is you. 

> It is nice of you to side with the "underdog" btw. That is a caring, sympathetic
> stance. But do be aware that the roles were reversed only a few short years ago. 
> Anyone attempting to investigate the deeper structure of these works was quickly 
> shouted down by a chorus of Gerry types. 

I don?t know what you mean by a ?Gerry type?.  I wasn?t here.  But if by ?shouting down? you mean ?pointing out problems? I can well imagine it.

> A heroic effort rescued the board from those days. It was pretty bad. It could 
> go weeks and months without anything of greater substance than notice of 
> an article about Wolfe in some SF magazine. If the pendulum swings too far 
> in the "creative" direction and the board becomes filled with Gerry's greatest 
> fear-"unthought out drivel", things will swing back. But right now I think there 
> is a nice balance of thought and criticism.

Then why so defensive when I and others criticise ideas?  Because we?re good at it?  Perhaps what you?d like is a nice little flock of token critics whose objections can easily be brushed aside?
- Gerry Quinn
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